Kiehl's Toner

Next up, over a couple of days I tried Kiehl's Cucumber  Herbal Alcohol- Free Toner.

You get a 250ml bottle and pay £16.50 for it, I think that's pretty good value. It also earns it's brownie points by not being tested on animals and its veggie-vegan friendly ( as far as I could tell.) As for using while CTM ( technique described ) it was nice to use. It had a neutral smell and is emerald/ moss green in colour. To be honest I have used better, but it was still very gentle with my skin and didn't dry it out, which is always useful when your face resembles sandpaper on some days. I prefer the Clarins one from before, nevertheless a very pleasing product to use. Buy HERE

Who thought moss green goo would make my skin so happy?

Yes! I am back reviewing this week... FABULOUS :) whilst I have been away writing for the Kensington and Chelsea Review I have also wrapped a film- 'The Russian Elephant', and assisted the AMAZING Naomi Selig at the Jermyn Street Theatre!


I now finally have the time to sit down a review a couple of little bits from last weeks list.


First up is Kiehl's Highly Efficient Skin Tone Corrector with Emblica, Glycolic Acid and HEPES. And Oh my Gaaaad, it's truly amazing. 

So yes, it looks like this and comes in a 30ml tube, is a beautiful shade of moss green and smells, well quite bad really ( sort of 'Trojan' like if you catch my drift ). HOWEVER I decided to still give it a shot. I applied after CTM and using the Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi- Phase for Dehydrated Skin( Yes, I am STILL on the tester). I used an amount about the size of my index finger nail and using my usual method of rubbing gently along my fingers and applying finger by finger onto my cheeks- where my beautiful redness is. I have to say that this is probably the best form of moisturiser I have EVER used, and that's a lot of products to compare to. I only used it on my cheeks and really quite sparingly as it's £41.00 for the 30ml tube- GASPS from the audience! But when I get paid I am seriously re arranging my coffee habits and lunch time treats to make way for my new skin care. It blends really beautifully and the slightly whiffy smell disappears once you've gently massaged it into your skin. I used my Neutrogena® Visibly Clear® Oil- Free Moisturiser after it on the areas left over. A true must have for any beautician/ make up artist's kit as it does exactly what it says on the tin, it did slightly improve my blemished splotchy red Celtic skin, which considering given the sample size I was only able to use for around a week. Buy HERE

NOMNOMNOM samples...

So I ventured into Boots and my old faithful haunt Selfridges today hoping for some time with the staff to ask about their wealth of product... unfortunately so did half of London, so I settled for samples instead :) Some staff were totally lovely and very helpful, some were not so fantastic so be aware. I will be trying them this week and reviewing next week on here. A preview of products is below:

CHANEL: Hydramax+Active Nutrition Nourishing Cream for Dry Skin

                 Vitalumiere Satin Fluid Make Up in 50Naturel

                 Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra- Light Skin Perfecting Make Up B40 Beige Desert

KIEHL'S: Cucumber Herbal Alcohol- Free Toner for all skin types, particularly dry or sensitive skin

                 Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser with Amazonian White Clay- Exfoliates and De Toxifies

                 Highly Efficient Skin Tone Corrector with Emblica, Glycolic Acid and HEPES.

CLINIQUE: Redness Solutions Make Up in 03 Calming Ivory

LANCÔME: Teint Miracle Fresh Foundation Veil Colours 1 and 2

...SIMPLES

I am prepared to admit that until very recently I was blooming useless at skin care, always using soap and water to wash my face even though I knew I shouldn't. It was a cardinal sin for the Beauty Artist in me. The genius of what I would call High Street skincare and the gumption to ask for samples from your local Selfridges/ Boots or House of Fraser has taught me that it doesn't have to be a mission OR ridiculously expensive.

So a trip has led me to Simple. Simple is really quite an amazing brand. It contains a comparatively small amount of parabens and general bad stuff that can make your skin feel questionable. It's fragrance free, colour free and contains Pro- Vitamin B5 among other lovely things. It is also used in every type of kit and beauty regime from Lisa Eldridge to your Grandma.

I tested:

Simple Kind to Eyes Nourishing Eye Make Up Remover Cream 100ml £3.99: I started by wetting my face with warm/hot water. Placing a thumb sized blob on my fingers and massaging it over my eye area was easy and painless enough to do :) all good so far. I then wiped it off with gentle sweeping motions with dampened cotton wool pads. One of the first things I noticed was how moisturising it was and then secondly how much dirt it actually removed from my skin at the same. Fabulous! I then proceeded to Cleanse Tone Moisturise as normal.

Verdict: Lovely. Completely cleansed my eye area with zero irritation - I have very sensitive skin, no bubble bath or heavily scented moisturisers for me :( - and I haven't even needed an eye cream so far ( I tested that bit too just incase). Buy at: Boots

and for the less extravagant:: NEUTROGENA

On a separate trip to Boots, I decided to venture into the world of Neutrogena, I am usually a Vaseline kinda lady but it's stopped working for me lately.

I bought and have been using the following for two days:

Neutrogena® Visibly Clear® Pink Grapefruit Cream Wash 150ml £4.49: This smells very citrusy and fresh, is of a nice non greasy consistency and is pale pink in colour. Having first wet my face and neck thoroughly with warm- hot water and then put a small ish blob onto my fingers and massaged gently on my cheeks, t zone area (forehead nose and top lip) and my temples while my skin was still wet. I then wet some cotton wool pads, squashed them between my palms to drain and swept upwards and outwards and gentle motions until my face was clear of face make up, grime and general dirt. NOTE: I didn't use this product or the next mentioned toner on or close to my eyes. I have a separate cleanser. It felt nice, fresh and tingly on my skin. It also did not leave my skin feeling tight and dry like some cleansers do. TIP: I cannot explain often enough how it is also incredibly important to wet your cotton wool BEFORE using it with product. It doesn't drag the skin as much as using it dry and also makes your product go further.

Neutrogena® Visibly Clear® Oil- Free Moisturiser 50ml £4.07: After towel drying my face I applied a blob of moisturiser about the size of a thumb nail to my fingers and rubbed between them, I then applied using individual fingers to areas of my face, excluding the eye area. It felt very zingy- which is why I was at first cautious and then definite to not apply it to the eye area. TIP: This feeling can often be mistaken for being allergic to the product, if you cannot get samples of a product or you have already bought it anyway perform a skin allergy test. This is crucial for all products you use on your skin and should be performed at least 48 hours before you are to use it properly. A small patch of skin either on the inside of your elbow or behind either ear can be used for this. Any redness or reaction and pop yourself along to your Doctor/GP asap. It was blended into my skin really nicely and left my skin feeling soft and hydrated for around 9 hours. - I have notoriously dry and dehydrated skin so this was lovely to feel!

Verdict: Very surprising, it was a lovely and convenient product to use, fairly inexpensive, nice textures and kept my skin feeling lovely for a while. It got rid of my drier patches for a few hours. It's a definite if you are on a lower budget!

CLARINS and the beauty of samples...

OK, so I walked into Boots the other day, decided to try out some Clarins' products. My skin has been really dry and under nourished for some time now. Having tried other products samples with a hefty price tag I found they just were not going to benefit me.

So I walked into Boots by Bond Street station and a lovely assistant helped me pick some products to try judging by what products I already use, have used, and what routine or non routine I have. I have rated the products as an altogether thing as I really do think they should be used as a team.

Here is what I got to try:

Clarins Cleansing Milk with Alpine Herbs for Dry/Normal Skin 10ml tester: Smells incredibly fresh, slightly woody and old fashioned- much like all of the Clarins tested products ( good so far!) Looks pale blue in colour. Having first wet my face and neck thoroughly with warm- hot water and then put a small ish blob onto my fingers and massaged gently on my cheeks, t zone area (forehead nose and top lip) and my temples while my skin was still wet. I then wet some cotton wool pads, squashed them between my palms to drain and swept upwards and outwards and gentle motions until my face was clear of face make up, grime and general dirt. NOTE: I didn't use this product or the next mentioned toner on or close to my eyes. I have a separate cleanser.

Clarins Toning Lotion with Chamomile for Dry/ Normal Skin 10ml tester: Smells like an English/ French garden in summer! Glorious! Has a yellow colour and like most toners I have come across is in water like liquid form. I put four blobs of the toner on a wet ( as before) cotton wool pad and swept as before across the same areas as before. Unlike other toners this felt like it was cleansing my skin and tightening my pores but not in a drying or irritating way.

Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi- Phase for Dehydrated Skin 3ml tester: Smells incredibly fresh and garden-y and has a delicate oil texture. Two drops per CTM routine is more than enough. Like most serums I have seen in the past this is meant to be used sparingly. I used straight after I had Cleaned and Toned and noticed a difference in my skin almost straightaway. I used one drop on each check area and also massaged into my top and bottom lip area. Unlike alot of other oil based products it blended into my skin very nicely and LIGHTLY.

FINALLY: Clarins Hydra Quench Cream Normal/ Dry Skin 5ml tester: Again smells very fresh and clean, white in colour. I used a small blob, about the same as the cleanser. Rubbing light along my fingers and massaging finger by finger around my face- again like the cleanser and toner deliberately leaving out my eye area. It was soft and smooth to blend into my face.

VERDICT: An absolute must if you can afford it!!! I am not usually incredibly enthusiastic about skin care products, I find them very hard to test and generally end up with bad results. As skincare is of upmost importance to a Make Up/ Beauty Artist, it sets the foundation for the rest of the work on the face that you do, it is hard to get it right, especially if you have to pay alot of money for it. But Clarins have come up trumps. It got rid of my drier patches of skin straight away and my face felt smooth, silky and nourished after 12 hours! It will definitely be going into my kit as soon as my next paycheck comes through!!! For full prices go to Boots.

Finally

I have filled in 85% of my LinkedIn Profile http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/kylie-mcmichael/25/32/3 so there, probably another 6 months will fly past before I put anything else onto it...

NEW START!

in my haste i went and deleted the old one... oh how clever of me, so I've started a new one... the posts may be few and far between- i am trying to get more regular with it, but what with twitter, linkedin, facebook, my actual website and self promotion tis a bit hard with 3 hours a night to work with. so i will be slowly checking through my kit to see what advice i can give you's all and any other old chit chat too...